The GDP grew 6.9 percent year on year in 2015, the slowest annual expansion in a quarter of a century, but is still in line with the official target.

Retail sales of consumer goods, a key indicator of consumption, performed well in December thanks to pro-consumption policies from the government. Total retail sales rose 11.1 percent year on year to 2.86 trillion yuan ($436 billion), NBS data showed. The growth rate was encouraging, though slightly down from 11.2 percent in November.

In 2015, retail sales grew 10.7 percent from a year earlier, slower than the 12-percent increase registered in 2014. Total sales amounted to 30.09 trillion yuan last year.

Online sales remained strong in 2015, jumping 33.3 percent year on year to 3.88 trillion yuan.

Retail sales in rural areas grew more rapidly than in urban areas. Last year, sales in rural regions rose 11.8 percent from a year ago, while sales in urban areas climbed 10.5 percent.